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Sat. 9-12-2015
Teal Season Opener
SE La public marsh
Johnny & I, Harry
Wind N/NW 5-10+, low 70's

Got early start and into our hole with plenty (hours) of time to set up and get Harrison squared away on his first hunt. As usual, plenty of people came out, and with the water lower than it had been, options for some were limited. Bumped some birds out of our hole on arrival.

Didn't see nearly the birds we'd have figured to see given the scouting reports, even up to the day before. Missed a few birds early on in the dark with the heavy cloud deck but got Harry his first bird while still pretty dark. He did well overall, including one critical bird he found that had fallen on other side of pond. I took him on leash over there and, of course, he was looking in a different area than I thought the bird to be and, of course, he came up with it. 6 birds downed, 6 birds strapped for the ride home. Little better shooting early would have gave us probably 8-10. Others I spoke with had either very few or maybe up to 6-8 or so. Got a lot of pretty slow reports from further SE of us in the Delacroix area, some scratches included. Water was low and falling when we left so we'll try somewhere else tomorrow and hope to see new birds. I'm planning to head back out there shortly to check out a few other options for tomorrow as well. Nice morning! I really didn't know what to expect out of Harry for his very first hunt but Johnny's had his share of hounds and gave him an A+ so that works for me!

6 BW teal









and with Uncle Johnny

Nice hunt and congrats

Looks like a nice morning in the marsh. Good luck tomorrow morning.

Might be the best part of that is that Harry seems to have the pirogue figured out.

Sun. 9-13-2015
SE La public marsh
Johnny & I, Harry
Wind N/NE 10-15+, upper 50's to start


Felt like early November this morning with the frontal passage, thought we should have been putting out our gray duck dekes instead of the teal ensemble, wind blowing us all over the place trying to unload into the pirogues. Unfortunately, with the water low the birds just aren't holding here and the front didn't bring anything to us. Tried a little different area from yesterday which paid off with very little pressure around us, had nice set up, just very few teal. Good many mottleds and woodies out and about. Took 3 of a wad of 4 to decoy, then added a single. Whiffed on one other pair blazing by with the wind, and that was it. Saw but one wad of maybe 10 to our west heading south, then on way out saw a wad of about 25 looking like it came from right where we'd been set up, heading northward. It was a beautiful morning regardless of the slow flight, we even ended up staying 'till almost 9:30a just to enjoy the weather. Our take was as good or better than others we spoke with around us so guess we fared ok.

Reports from our area and the areas SE of us (Delacroix, Hopedale, etc) were very poor overall today, some 1 bird, or even DNS. Hoping the easterly winds this week will bring back the water and the birds. Try again in a few days

4 BW teal

Ferrying was in order today due to being in much more gator-friendly waters

Thats a beautiful marsh, looks healthy. I hope the numbers pick up for you this week, and for sure, the weather was awesome for the hunts this weekend.

Glad you and Johnny had a good weekend Darren, and nice to see that Harry got some live action

Wed. 9-16-2015
SE La public marsh
Johnny & I, Harry
Wind NE 5-10+, around 70 to start with clear skies

Our water is back up so got ourselves set up in what had been right in the wheelhouse of the birds during the scout missions. Unfortunately, it was a total bust, these birds are gone, and the marsh was very, very quiet. Highlight of morning was decoying four squealers that will inevitably be gone before our regular season opener. Think we might have seen 3 teal before packing it up around 7:30a, Johnny heading to work and I heading to other waters for scouting with hopes of finding something remotely promising for tomorrow morning. Rode quite a bit of water seeing zero teal and only a few mottleds before stumbling on a small hole that's got some unique grass flooded up that was holding a fair congregation of both mottleds and teal. Most encouragingly, though, the birds that jumped from the area immediately returned as a I watched from around the corner so we'll see about posting up nearby in the morning.

DNS - 0 BW teal; never thought about calling or shooting but it was a nice looking spot and now Harry knows the ache of a scratch hunt. Had to happen eventually, right?! He was a good sport about it in the blind anyway so guess that's encouraging.

Very nice! Looks like a good start to the season.

Olly wrote:Very nice! Looks like a good start to the season.

Other than today it's been fun to fire a few shots

We'll see what tomorrow holds in a different area, change of scene at least.

Wed. 9-17-2015
SE La public marsh
Anthony & I
Wind ENE 5-10+, around 70 to start with clear skies

Thankfully, the previous day's scouting paid off. Only a day removed from a full fledged DNS, we had ourselves a good 'ol fashioned teal blast. On arrival the area they were holding in yesterday was empty, not a flushing wing to be heard, BUT was absolutely riddled with feathers and even smelled like a well-used park area. Sure enough, just before LST a group of about 8 dropped in on us and then it was steady small groups after that. Took us a few minutes to realize we needed to ditch the decoys and actually hunt right in middle of the tall standing grass where they wanted. A few would work the dekes and land but most wanted right in middle, so took one mojo and set it in small hole and that was all we needed. They were coming in up close and personal, lots of fun, had our 12 by 6:45am.

Unfortunately Harry didn't make the trip because of gator concerns here but really wish I had him so he could have gotten in on so many birds, hopefully next trip. No other shots heard this morning and no other hunters out in our area that we could see. It's not that there's a lot of birds around, its just that the ones in this general area want to be in this location, unlike our other area where they show no preference to one spot or another. Also worked a train load of mottled ducks to nearly feet-grabbing range as they dropped in around us. Anthony back at them this weekend, I'm on hiatus 'till mid next week

12 BW teal

SWEEEEET! Glad you got in em.

Just like on TV.

Rick wrote:Just like on TV.

Lol

Your scouting paid off! Great report and pics Darren!!!!

As a note to the log, I didn't hunt today but Anthony returned to the location from Thursday. They strapped but 3 teal and reported a few miscues, fewer birds overall though. I'm planning to get back out midweek and hope to see a few new arrivals.

Wed. 9-23-2015
SE La public marsh
Johnny & I
Wind N/NE 5-10+, 60's to start with clear skies

Back in same "honey hole" from last Thursday but we just don't have many birds around. Water was a little lower than I'd like for this spot to properly flood it but still looked attractive and noticed plenty of feathers still around. Had one three pack skirt us, with us barely chipping down one that lit on back side of our island and by the time I got there with the ferried hound, we had zero idea of which direction he likely headed. Later Harry had one nice retrieve on a single that worked in right. That was it! Did get to work plenty of mottleds and woodies, however. Heard very little shooting near us and report from those who hunted the other area we had been going to were very slow/DNS. With the volume of mottleds in this area, we're thinking it worth a nice setup for the regular season so we've already been scheming on that. Likely to be a mostly teal and mallards/mottleds type deal but on a nice flight line we've seen divers frequent in past seasons.

1 BW teal

Hunting out the boat, easy as it gets!




Really no reason to want to go tomorrow, but likely will just go see.

Thurs. 9-24-2015
SE La public marsh
Solo
Wind NE 10+, 60's to start with clear skies

Gave some broken marsh a try I'd seen a few in afternoon before, and saw about what I expected. Only saw maybe 15 teal in total but most working east of me. Did have a couple of chances that went unfired upon, one from distraction of a phone, and the other was dark and early and wasn't 100% sure on ID. Harry did great job of tracking my easy shot turned long-off (and very lively) cripple so we didn't go home skunked.

1 BW teal

Good to hear Harry's OJT is going well.

Rick wrote:Good to hear Harry's OJT is going well.

Really enjoyed his merry chase with the crip this morning, as it kept diving on him as so many are apt to do in the regular season. Was small enough of a puddle that I had fun watching him learn/chase without much worry of ultimately losing the bird.

Just kicking myself that he's not getting many retrieving reps this teal season with being held out of the 12-bird hunt a week ago, and missing the precious few chances I got today that would have been great op to work with just the two of us on hand without much concern for large toothy critters in our proximity. We did enjoy, however, another morning of plenty of mottleds working into our setup, hope they stick.

As another note to the log, checked our hole from last Thursday on our way out this morning to find it empty, no teal or mottleds to be found.

Glad to here you guys are having some success down there. Our season in Md. opened on Sept. 16th. I hunted on the 16th and shot 1 greenwing and saw no other teal . I then went out on the 22nd and got 1 green and shot 1 bluewing out of a flock of 6 or 8 birds . No other teal were seen . Both days I didnt here one other shot in the marsh . i'M thinking the teal haven't really come down yet .
What are your thoughts ?

Darren wrote:Just kicking myself that he's not getting many retrieving reps this teal season...

Young Marsh has been quick to remind me that it's not all about the reps. Repeating poor habits can hurt at least as much as repeating good ones can help. And the bug goes deaf as brother Peake when he's sent to retrieve. Hard to bite my tongue and lay off the whistle, rather than inadvertently teach him he can get away with blowing it off when hunting.

islandgoose wrote:i'M thinking the teal haven't really come down yet .
What are your thoughts ?

Know I'm not who you asked, but your question prompted me to take note of today's hen:drake ratio, which was still weighted strongly to the later, suggesting that the bulk of the migration is yet to come.

Rick wrote:

islandgoose wrote:i'M thinking the teal haven't really come down yet .
What are your thoughts ?

Know I'm not who you asked, but your question prompted me to take note of today's hen:drake ratio, which was still weighted strongly to the later, suggesting that the bulk of the migration is yet to come.

Goose,

Rick would have a better handle on our little understanding of where the teal migration actually is since he hunts and observes areas that are traditionally more teal friendly than I do. Our teal hunting is usually spotty, at best, but have had some jam up hunts in past depending on frontal timing and our marsh conditions. This year, as my spotty results can attest here in the log book, is about par for the course, and I typically do not correlate my teal season harvest with any projections to how the regular season will go for us. I'm starting to mentally get "over" the teal season, likely only making one more trip this Sunday, and starting to itch for the regular season when I won't have to give decoying woodies and mottleds a pass.

Darren wrote:...when I won't have to give decoying woodies and mottleds a pass.

Meaning, of course, that the sly bastages will give us wide berth.

Rick wrote:

Darren wrote:...when I won't have to give decoying woodies and mottleds a pass.

Meaning, of course, that the sly bastages will give us wide berth.

More than likely, yes. That said, our opportunity for harvest on them is up over the last couple of seasons largely because we've set up shop in some areas they routinely traverse, the Big Blind is a good area for that. We've also got plans for a new haunt that will also put us in their natural flight path. I'm really just hoping to capitalize on the mallards when they show up and start intermixing with the locals. Woodies will be nearly entirely MIA for sure

Sun. 9-27-2015 - Last day of Sept teal season
SE La public marsh
Johnny & I
Wind NE 10+, 60's to start with cloudy skies

Had to give it one more shot before the season closed, but we wouldn't have missed much had we stayed home. Set up a tad east of my location from Thursday's solo effort, jumped a few birds on arrival that were in some flooded grass right behind us. Had a single give us an iffy chance out on edge of the spread, just passing by, and I missed! That was it, never thought about doing any other shooting, and saw very few teal near us. Checked out last week's honey hole on way out and jumped about 8 mottleds and all of 2 BW's from it, didn't miss out there.

0 BW teal taken today

We made the best of the time out there, though, and got some blind work done afterwards and found a few deep channels that we can park the boat in. Also checked out a few other holes Johnny frequents, so it was productive. Eventually made it to an area we routinely refer to as "the teal hole" and found it to be holding a few dozen blue wings.....ughhhh. Never got around to scouting it much less hunting it, thought it to be too choked with grass for access, but the birds were hanging out on top of the mats of heavy vegetation. Kicked ourselves all the way back to the house, and promptly put away the teal dekes. Very much looking forward to the regular season which won't kick off until Nov 21 in this area.

Teal Season Recap - 2015

Though preseason scouting showed really promising numbers, they were largely gone by the end of opening weekend and never saw such numbers thereafter. The remainder of the season was more representative of our long term "typical" teal seasons with a handful of birds around and limits being very very scarce. As far as I know, we were the only group to put limits on the strap at all, much less so quickly on the one day we found a small pile of birds. The "norm" is 2-4 birds at most per blind, with a good many scratches mixed in for the season, so that's about what we experienced. Nonetheless, was good opportunity to give all the equipment some work and let young Harry see some slower hunts and hopefully learn to be patient in the blind. Yesterday's boring effort was his most well behaved yet so it's looking promising.


7 teal hunts (same as 2014)
24 BW teal taken (same as 2014)

If this has any bearing on our "big duck" season and we've got a similar story to 2014 in the hopper, that would be just fine, but typically the teal season has shown no bearing on our regular season with the lone exception being in 2013 when there were essentially zero teal around in September due to late migration, then had very poor regular season to follow due to, presumably, the same issue.

In coming weeks we'll be working on some hunt locations and continuing with the dog training in anticipation of early November's opener in the Coastal Zone.